Peterson says since starting in business he’s learnt “every idea matters”.
“Whether it’s the design team, engineering or marketing, each person’s idea has an equal weight and importance and can’t be talked negatively about. It needs to be cared for.”
At the moment Peterson is in the process of creating more apps and tools to let teachers “do more teaching and less marking”.
“We don’t want the classroom to be disrupted per say, we want to give the teacher more power.”
The Shiny Things office has been designed to facilitate the creation of ideas.
“It’s designed intentionally so people have to run into each other all the time. The design and the engineering teams are on opposite sides of the office, so everyone has to crisscross the office and talk to each other. We also have a ping pong people to encourage people and our conference room is just a table in the middle of the room,” he says.
“We want people to be constantly talking about ideas.”
As the company grows, Peterson is trying to learn from other successful tech companies how to keep the creativity in the business.
“Apple is extremely large, so you’d think all the creativity would have been snuffed out, yet it hasn’t. Feedback from people at other companies is that’s like organised chaos.”
To attract the right people to the company, Peterson says he values their vision of their skill.
“The most important quality is whether they see the vision and if they have the sparkle to be self-motivated. I don’t care too much about their skills or backgrounds,” he says.
“Our number one motto is learning comes first. We need people who love to learn.”
To protect the business from future hurdles, Peterson dedicates some time to thinking about what issues the company could face next.
“We don’t run into many issues, but every three to four years a tech company is disrupted, and we need to make sure we’re not,” he says.
On a day to day basis the Shiny Things faces the same challenges as most small businesses.
“It’s a matter of making sure the bills are paid. We’re a large team and we need to make sure we’re earning enough to cover the costs,” he says.
Being a new business owner, Peterson doesn’t manage to maintain a work-life balance, but it’s something he encourages his employees to have.
“I insist my team members have a work life balance. They come in at 9am and work till 5pm, but it’s not possible for me,” he says.
When he does have a spare minute, he likes bush walking and exploring nature.
“I like looking around corners and finding what’s new,” he says.
Looking forward, Peterson intends to continue growing the business.
“I like building businesses, we won’t be acquired any time soon,” he says.
“Whatsapp reached 440 million in three years, so maybe we can reach 300 million in five years.”
To other entrepreneurs, Peterson recommends developing an understanding of what makes a great business.
“Think about what makes companies like Coca Cola so endearing, what makes a quality product and how you can make it,” he says.
“If you don’t understand quality, it can take a long time to enter into a market.”
